DOUG MANSFIELD, President, Mansfield Marketing
The general public may recognize company names like BASF and Dow without knowing exactly what each does because the names don't spell it out. If we, the public, know these companies sell chemicals, the reason we know is because the companies have invested significant time and money into their marketing and branding. However, at Mansfield Marketing, we can help your company increase its name recognition in a short amount of time and using fewer resources.
Start with a new name: To illustrate some company-naming conventions, let's start with an example of a fictitious company name; we'll call our company "KSX Welding Supplies." The abbreviation of the name, "KSX," is memorable and simple to pronounce. "Welding Supplies" describes the exact products and services it offers. And the domain name "ksxwelding.com" is available for just $12 -- at least at the time I wrote this article.
All of these elements form a neat and tidy package. Some companies have existing names that are less tidy, but our goal is to achieve neat and tidy naming packages for our clients.
The challenge ahead: When a company comes to us with an acronym or an otherwise generic name, we have extra work to do to build its recognition. We need our audience of targeted potential customers to associate the name with the specific services the company provides.
Not every company needs to achieve BASF's level of recognition, but even with limited resources, we cannot overstate the absolute necessity of embedding the company name and what it sells in the minds of its target audience.
Branding as part of your strategy: Mansfield Marketing offers a reliable method for building name recognition and association: It's called "branding." In the world of advertising, branding is essential even for the best-known companies. In general, digital branding is a more affordable form of advertising than direct response because it can reach more people for less money, provided the branding campaign is managed by a competent agency.
To be effective, branding ads must be seen repetitively, over and over again, to drive home the association of the company and its offerings to the viewer.
Tools to brand your company name: Digital advertising, content, websites and social media sites like LinkedIn are important tools we use to build brand value. A more comprehensive strategy also includes the use of trade publications and association membership. For example, we invite clients to join us in the Economic Alliance Houston Port Region. Joining other organizations can also be useful, but we believe the Economic Alliance gets a good return on investment. Of course, we also include BIC Magazine in our planning. We favor BIC for its reach, recognition and respected trademark.
Start at the beginning: Even with clients who have already achieved some level of name and brand recognition, we start at the very beginning. Our first step is always to establish the company's brand recognition with the target audience before we start direct-response advertising.
Remember, it's never a bad idea to go back to the beginning to re-establish and strengthen your name and brand. The companies that do this separate themselves from their competitors and sell themselves on qualities like trust and value, not price.
For more information, visit www.mansfieldmarketing.com or call (713) 533-8899.
